The old woman’s body flailed, scraping grass from the lawn, and bounced into rectangular bushes under the neighbor’s bay window. Every person’s eyes followed the lady like she was the ball in a ping pong match. My eyes darted to Al, who wore a stern expression. Her assessing gaze roamed over the other partygoers.

“What the death was that?!” I demanded in a harsh whisper.

“Instinct.” She responded and fell into a crouch. Before I could stop her, she surged forward and clotheslined another of the greeters on the way to the house.

“Al!” I shouted. She’d completely lost her mind! I apologized to the remaining awestruck individual from the welcoming committee and gave chase. “What are you doing?” I called to her but got no response. As I ran, I felt an odd sensation, like I’d run through a soap bubble. Then I was blindsided by a table that sent me to the ground. Dazed, I rolled onto my butt to look at where it had come from. A soccer mom’s chest heaved with massive breaths, and she growled at me – literally growled at me like a rabid cougar.

Before I could grasp what was happening, a cane hurtled toward the side of my head. I reacted by raising my arm to block, but when it connected my forearm buckled. The force of the walking stick had snapped the bones in my arm, then part of it shattered, sending splinters into my face. I winced and pain shocked me out of my confusion. Before the cane-wielding old man could stab me with the end he still held, I scrambled out of reach and quickly surveyed the scene.

What I saw was pure mayhem. Across the lawn, a kid leapt through the air like a spider monkey, landing on Al’s back. Before he could fully latch on, she reached over her shoulder and threw him at a man swinging a lawn chair. The momentum of the kid sent caused them to slam into a table. Food fell to the ground, and I frowned at the waste.

My mourning for the loss was short-lived as a hand tried to palm my head from behind. I knocked it away and jumped to my feet. It was the greeter that I’d apologized to as I ran past. The one Al had knocked down rose, and when my eyes investigated the neighbor’s yard. The elderly woman was getting to her feet. Bones shifted beneath the skin on her face, until her skull returned to its normal shape. She looked completely unfazed from Al’s devastating punch.

“Oh death...” I said in disbelief. I ran to support Al, and not at all because there were invincible superhumans attacking me. I remembered the abundant energy that was coursing through me and I concentrated it into my broken forearm. The bones fused back together. The deliberate intention to heal while I ran, quickly restored it to normal, but it was a little too quickly. Perhaps my ability had evolved from my recent brush with death, I wasn’t about to complain.

I put on a burst of speed, regular human speed, as I ran toward Al, who had just uppercut a man holding a spatula and wearing an apron. He flew into the air and landed on the roof. An instant later, my mentor’s body bent sideways unnaturally from a purse swung by a blonde in a sundress. The attack took Al off her feet. She collided with a stainless-steel grill, and it was sent a few feet into the yard. She recovered quickly but a man caught her by the throat and slammed into the siding. She opened her mouth and a gout of flames blasted out of it like a dragon breathing fire. She rubbed her neck and jumped away from the wall to create some distance from the onslaught.

Her eyes scanned the crowd with the desperation of a wounded animal. She held her stomach with one arm, while the other dangled at her side. Every person that she’d struck down, rose slowly to their feet. The man on the roof jumped down into a heap and bones jutted from his broken legs. He ignored the pain, dragging his lower half as he crawled toward Al. I announced my presence to not alarm her.

“I think they’re mad that you ruined their party.” I jested. There was no smirk or clever quip in response. Her teeth were clenched; her full focus was on the battle, but she wasn’t going to be able to fight in that condition. I arrived at her side and gingerly placed a hand on the shoulder with her dangling arm. Even with my slow deliberate motion, my touch got the reaction of a maddened beast, but she was able to catch herself before her murderous intent overwhelmed me.

“I’m going to heal you.” I reassured her.

“Hurry up.” She growled.

She sent a wave of fire at the crowd to ward off any attacks while I sent a tendril of energy into her to inspect the damage. She had a broken arm, dislocated shoulder, and several broken ribs. My magic caused her to grimace as her arm set itself, her shoulder went back into the socket, and her ribcage reformed. The expression of pain and anger on her face dissipated, and her eyebrows rose in surprise.

Her head twisted in my direction, and her eyes met mine questioningly. I was just as surprised as she was. It had only taken a few seconds for her to be healed. The grins we gave each other made us look like the suburbanite slaying demons that we were about to become. As if on cue, we weaved toward the partygoers like land dolphins.

“Boost your strength in bursts. You’ll be able to conserve energy that way.” Al yelled as she Sparta-kicked the man that had labeled me a blasphemer. He went flying through the party house’s window. Her advice made so much sense, I felt stupid for not thinking to do that during my fight with Cara. At least now I knew better than to use different body augmentations at the same time.

Feeling jealous of Al’s prior fun, the spider monkey kid didn’t expect me to grab him and throw him like a football at the soccer mom. Her face hadn’t conveyed how immensely satisfying it was to rocket a brat across the yard. I was both impressed and disappointed that woman I’d targeted managed to catch the kid and put him down.

Al sent the old woman she’d almost KO’d back into the neighbor’s yard with haymaker. She followed it with a donkey kick to an incoming aggressor then ducked the grill master’s spatula, which lodged itself in the chest of a man wearing a Hawaiian shirt. She rose with an uppercut to the purse-wielding blonde and side kicked someone else. All of her attacks flowed into the next like an unending combo in a fighting video game.

I stood in awe, until the cane-wielder swung at me. I caught the implement, yanked it away from him, and punched him in the face with my other hand. With the pointy end of the stick, I stabbed the man who’d tried to palm my head in the throat, and a geyser of blood erupted from the wound. Pulling back the stick, I went into a batter’s stance. I shattered my cane-bat by knocking someone out of the park and the crowd went wild.

“We need to get into the house.” I shouted at Al.

“No shit!” She yelled back.

“Language!” I scolded. She shook her head then jumped a dozen feet to on the stoop in front of the house. She made it look easy, I took a more conservative approach by shouldering my way through the crowd, which was harder than I thought it would be. The elderly woman returned to the fight. Al picked her up and used her as a battering ram to break the front door down. It probably wasn’t locked, but why use a handle when you can use an old lady?

Al entered the home, and I dashed after her, stiff arming a couple more defenders as I went. When I burst through the doorway, I saw that Al was no longer fighting. Cara sat upon a throne with her legs crossed. I say throne, but it was really just a recliner set on the island in the middle of the kitchen. She was doing her best goth impression, wearing a leather jacket, a black skirt, and fishnet tights. A shirtless man, probably in his early twenties, was painting her toenails while Cara’s parents fanned her. Two dads wearing football helmets stood guard on either side of her.

“Ahh, I remember you.” Cara said with a smile directed at me. “Welcome to my castle.” She gestured around the room. “It’s much better than the one you destroyed; don’t you think?”

“Uhh… Sure.” I replied lamely, not knowing what else to say. “Yeah. So, Cara –” I started.

“Jascia.” She corrected. I stared in confusion until I realized that was probably the name of the creature that possessed her.

“Jascia – ” I said in response. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to let everyone go and go back to where you came from.” I tried. It was stupid of me to think that she’d agree to the request, but I had to try. As expected, she laughed. It was the condescending laugh of a ‘proper’ lady, covering her mouth with the back of her hand and everything.

“Let them go? They aren’t my prisoners, they like serving me and I’ve given them immortality as a reward.” She commented. “Why would they want to go back to being weak scum?”

“Uhh… probably because they’re being mind-controlled or whatever you’re doing.” I answered

“Heh.” She scoffed. “They are enthralled. I recall you had powers of your own and judging by the way she handled my vassals, so does she. Who are you people?”

“We’re mages.” Al replied simply.

“Mages.” Jascia responded, tasting the word. “Well, for making it to my throne room, you’ve proven yourselves quite capable, thus you are worthy of my patronage and will become my champions. Pledge your loyalty, and I will give you the boon of immortality.” She gave us a predatory grin.

“No thanks.” Al responded. “That would ruin the thrill of battle.”

“Now hold on there, Al.” I said to her, acting for the ‘queen’s’ benefit. “Immortality could be worth bending the knee.” I said to Al with a wink. She rolled her eyes. “Just out of curiosity,” I rolled my wrist in a coaxing gesture for information. “How do you go about granting this immortality?”

“Well, I simply – ” Jascia paused and eyed me suspiciously. “You needn’t know how the ceremony is performed. You’ve already witnessed my power.”

“We’ve only gotten to witness your drone’s power.” Al butted in and as a result, wasted my masterful ploy. “You haven’t shown us your strength.” She returned the creature’s predatory smile with one of her own. “Get off your high horse and fight me like a real woman?” She challenged. Jascia laughed again.

“A queen does not lower herself with the same brutality of common folk; that is what her minions are for.” She dismissed with a wave of her hand.

“I apologize for my companion’s lack of decorum. You are quite right, my liege.” I bowed. “We would be most humbled if you could just provide us with a small demonstration of your power.” I was impressed by my own brilliance. I’d managed to salvage my plan.

“I grow weary of these games. Guards! Dispose of this rabble.” Jascia glowered. That escalated quickly, I thought.

“Did you think that was going to work?” Al asked me, unperturbed by the charging suburban dads.

“It would have worked if you hadn’t ruined it.” I countered, as I jumped backward to dodge a tackle. Al hammer-fisted her attacker, slamming him to the floor and cracking his helmet. She then walked across the man’s back like it was a red carpet. The grace and ease in which she dispatched the guard demonstrated just how powerful she was. I exuded my own strength by leap frogging over another tackle, then he crashed through the window as he stumbled. It was cooler than it sounds, you had to be there.

Al’s intimidation had an effect on Jascia, because she hopped from her throne in alarm. “Get her!” She pointed at Al, staring at the shirtless attendant and the Hasbrooks. Then she jumped down from the granite countertop and bolted, pausing only to unlock and slide open the back patio door. I almost chuckled at how ridiculous it was, but instead, I did something that Al couldn’t. I bolstered my speed.

Using my colorless essence instead of the angry red stuff I got from Al, I jet across the floor, and grabbed the teenager’s arm before she could make it more than a couple steps onto the back deck. I pulled her back into the room, and she fell onto her butt. She scrabbled backward in fear. It was clear to me then that the demon that possessed Cara was no different than a regular human. Her strength lied in the abilities she could grant to others.

My grin gave away my discovery, but she must have had something else up her sleeve, because she grinned back. The crash of shattering windows grabbed my attention. Jascia’s neighborhood hoard swarmed the house like zombies. They charged Al, but she was doing her best kung fu master impression. Punching, kicking, dodging, and throwing the approaching attackers with a wide smile on her face. I returned my attention to my prey: the teenage girl at my feet.

She was trying to crawl away, so I grabbed her leg. She kicked at me in a futile attempt to free herself. I was tempted to swing her over my head and smash her on the ground back and forth like the Hulk. That would have been probably a better plan than just holding onto her ankle, because the creature gave up trying to flee. She reached toward me and gripped my arm with both hands. An evil grin appeared on her face as she pierced me with her eyes.

They were a black so dark that no light reflected off of them; so deep that they seemed to pull you in. I was enveloped by darkness like I’d entered a tunnel with no light at the end of it. When I looked behind me the room was gone.